


Here be Dragons

by Aweebwrites



Series: Here be Dragons [1]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Dimension Travel, Domestic Fluff, Dragons, Fluff, Metamorphosis, Romantic Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 00:17:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18712633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aweebwrites/pseuds/Aweebwrites
Summary: Kai gets sucked into an alternate dimension with nothing but the clothes on his back. Now, he has to survive until his friends can bring him home.Luckily, he makes some friends along the way to make things easier.





	Here be Dragons

**Author's Note:**

> This AU belongs me and I adore it. That is all.

“Kai! Hold on!” Nya yelled, holding onto Kai’s hand as tight as she could as the vortex about tried to suck them in.

Sadly, the villain of the day was an elemental master that goes by the name Vortica. She apparently had the ability to open portals to different  _dimensions_  and was smart enough to get the team to split up. Nya had managed to corner her and when Kai arrived on scene, she opened the swirling magenta portal to get rid of them. The problem is the banner Nya had grabbed hold of was ripping.

“It can’t hold us both!” Kai yelled at her over the sucking wind and on cue, the banner ripped loudly, making them scream.

“No! One of the others will come!” Nya yelled confidently, looking down at her brother who was already dangerously close to the vortex.

“Not soon enough.” Kai whispered then swallowed. “Let me go Nya!” He yelled at her and Nya looked down at him alarmed.

“What?! No!” Nya yelled at him then gasped once the banner ripped again.

“If you don’t we’ll both go in!” Kai yelled and Nya shook her head.

“I’m not letting you go!” She yelled at him and he looked up at his stubborn sister before smiling.

“You don’t have to.” He says then let go of iis hold, his hand now starting to slip out of her hold.

“No! Kai! What are you doing?!” Nya yelled at him, trying to hold on tighter with no avail.

“Saving you. Goodbye sis.” He says with a smirk, just before he slipped away.

“No! Kai!” She screamed, helplessly watching as he was sucked into the vortex.

She let go as well, not about to leave him alone- but before she could even get close, the portal suddenly closed, leaving her to drop to the floor of the museum with a grunt.

“Nya! Are you alright?!” Jay yelled as he and the others ran in then.

“Vortica got away but…” Zane says, looking around. “Where’s Kai?” He asked and Nya couldn’t hold back a sob- at the sound of his name.

“He’s- he’s gone!” She yelled and they gasped as she sobbed into her hands.

They exchanged somber looks before heading over to comfort her.

_____________

“Aaaahhhh!” Kai yelled as he spiraled deeper and deeper into the vortex before he found himself falling, a massive forest below him. “Oh crap!” He yelled, trying to summon his elemental dragon but failing.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ouch!” He yelled out as tree branches whacked him as he fell.

The water below was a welcoming sight however. He held his breath as he fell into the deep waters with a loud splash. He quickly kicked his way to the surface and took a big gasp of air. He panted while treading the water, glad he let Nya teach him how to swim.  _Nya!_  He looked up then with a gasp, just in time to see the vortex disappear. His only way home…

That train of thought had him looking around. He looked around at the area around the large pond covered mostly by thick forestry. The trees looked really weird… Extremely twisty with bright green leaves… But the water looked like normal water at least. And he can breathe this air, luckily. The best he can do right now was set up camp, look for something to eat, possibly and hope that the others can bring him back. He swam towards the bank of the pond and took stock of himself. He had a few kunai and throwing stars on him he kept for show. Ah. His sword too.

“Well. Let’s hope there’s nothing out there that wants to eat me.” Kai whispered to himself, holding his sword defensively as he walked into the thick forest to find supplies.

On the other side of the pond, just behind the first line of trees, green eyes glowed in the shade as a low growl sounded.

_________________

“Woah…” Kai whispered as he looked at the small animals of the forest.

Most of them glowed since the light from the sun can’t reach the forest floor due to all of the trees. They looked pretty much like the kind of animals you would find in Ninjago but something sets them apart. With birds, it’s the fact that they’re almost completely  _transparent_  with the few feathers they had glowing bright colours. Lizards had glowing patterns on their scaled back and roll up like armadillos when frightened.

He hadn’t seen anything bigger than a weird glow worm that was about the size of his arm but he figured the big splash he made frightened them. And it might be for the best. Already, he had an arm full of sticks and vines. He should probably head back with what he has and try to get something more for coverage. With that in mind, he turned around- only to freeze.

_Um. Where did I come from again?_

Damn. He should have marked the trees. He walked back however trying to recall anything he might have seen to lead the way. A loud splash sounded and he gasped. That must be from the pond! But… Is it a good idea to rush back? He held his sword in one hand and the supplies under the other as he slowly walked towards the splashing sounds. Soon, he was back at the pond, just behind the treeline. He set down his supplies slowly before creeping close to see what was making that splashing sound. He took a breath before peering out. His mouth dropped open.

_No. **Way.**_

In the middle of the pond, green scales shimmered under the light of day directly overhead as the dragon played around in the pond. Going by the size, it must still be pretty young. Its body was long and slender with its wings folded at its side and looked but for navigating tight spaces. Considering how thick this forest was, he could see how it could come in handy.

Funny. It even had gold claws and small, protruding horns. It reminded him of Lloyd. He shifted closer for a better look but made the rookie mistake of stepping on a stick. The dragon lifted its head in his direction, spotting him easily.

“Uh-oh.” Kai says as it went on the defense before charging at where he was hiding.

Young or not, that dragon can cause some serious damage if he wasn’t careful! He turned tail and ran as fast, the green dragon roaring as it rushed after him.

“Crap! Crap! Crap!” Kai yelled, try to shake him by ducking under branches and jumping over them but the little guy was fast and determined.

Not to mention actually used to the forest!

“Can we talk this out?!” Kai asked with a yell, just barely dodging a bite from sharp teeth and a very strong looking mouth.

The dragon only roared as he continued to chase after Kai.

“I’ll take that as a no!” Kai yelled as he hopped up holding onto a branch and pulling himself up but the little guy can climb!

“I’m about to become dragon food!” Kai yelled, going high up into the mess of branches too tightly woven for the dragon to get through but he fixed that by shredding the branches with his teeth and claws.

Soon, not even Kai could hold through the network of branches and the dragon was climbing still, glowing, slitted green eyes on him as he growled.

“Oh no. Maybe we can work something out?” Kai asked, pulling his legs up, out of his reach as he kept snapping at him.

This is it. He was done for. The green dragon lunged at him and he yelled- but there was a yelp of fright and he looked down- only to see some utterly black, beastly things dragging the dragon down from the tree, eyes glowing magenta with huge tusks and clawed hands.

“I’m saved.” Kai breathed out then found an escape route down, out of the way of those malicious things and the dragon.

He got to the ground then took off. A pained yelp sounded then distress calls, most likely from the dragon and Kai stopped in his tracks. He looked back in time to see one of the creatures claw into the his leg of the dragon and groaned loudly before rushing over.

“You’re lucky I’m a ninja, no matter what dimension I’m in!” Kai yelled, skidding under one of the beasts and igniting his fire as he stood between them and the dragon. “I don’t care what the hell you things are! Leave the little guy alone or else you’ll have to deal with me!” He yelled, stepping forward and they all stepped back with a hiss, flinching away from his fire.

“Oh? Afraid of fire huh? Good! Ha!” He yelled, creating a semicircle of flames around himself and the dragon making most of them hiss and retreat. “That’s right! Thought so! Take this!” He yelled, blasting a fireball at the two that remain, making them quickly retreat.

“We better get you out of here before they come back.” Kai says, turning to the injured dragon laying on the ground.

He spotted the heavily bleeding wound on his back leg and sighed, taking his hood off, ripping it with his sword before stepping closer to the dragon. Said dragon released a low growl once he got closer and Kai sighed.

“I saved your life! Isn’t that enough for you to trust me?” He asked, irritated. “You probably can’t even understand me but I’m going to tie this on your wound to stop the bleeding.” He explained slowly, doing the actions.

The dragon tilted its head, most likely in confusion and Kai sighed even louder.

“Just let me-” He says then crept closer and while the dragon kept watching him warily, he didn’t growl.

Kai made quickly work to bandage the wound and the dragon looked back at it before getting on its feet. It lowered its back leg then let out a pained sound before lifting it again, balancing on three of his four legs.

“Let’s get out of here.” Kai says to the dragon then turned around to walk back to the pond.

A low roar stopped him and he looked back to see the dragon facing another direction before hopping off.

“Alright. Lead the way.” Kai shrugged, following after him.

By the time they reached back to the pond, the sky was getting darker hut the ground was getting brighter.  _Literally_. The ground was glowing green.

“I’m never gonna have shelter ready before nightfall…” Kai groaned as he stood on the back.

He glanced at the dragon, noticing that it was still on the move. He followed it to the other side of the pond-  _because what else was he going to do_ \- and noticed just behind the first line of trees, that there was several trees twined together by the trunks, their roots far enough apart to create a sort of tree cave. A well lived in one at that. This must be where he lives… The dragon crawled in then, curling up and staring out at Kai.

“Want me to get in huh? It’s better than nothing.” Kai shrugged before crawling in the narrow space, noticing that it was actually much bigger inside. He could stand up comfortably in here.

He sat close to the front however, curious to what night time in this place looked like. He found out an hour later. Everything really glows! Even the water was glow blue! And the sky! He poked his head out to see and wasn’t disappointed. He’s never seen that many stars before! Or two moons! The planet he was on even had rings! Three from what he could see. This place was like something out of fantasy!

“Jay would have probably loved to see all this!” Kai says with a grin before it fell.

His friends, his family were far out of reach. This isn’t one of the 16 realms where Sensei Wu could just go fetch the Realm Crystal and check. This was a completely different  _dimension_. He’s listened to Jay rant about his comics long enough to know what that meant. Vortica may not even be in Ninjago anymore. And he was stuck here… Forever it seems…

The green dragon watched the expressions pass the strange being’s face. They seem… Sad. He hasn’t come across a creature like them before. They must not be from here. He would love to help them find their back home as thanks for saving him from the Oni but they couldn’t even understand each other. For now, he’ll look out for the until they can go home…

_______________

“What do you mean she’s the only way to get him back?!” Nya yelled once they explained the situation to Wu after getting aboard the Bounty parked over the museum.

“I’m sorry Nya. Kai’s loss is hard on us all but he has been sent to a different dimension. Not a different realm. Dimensions are beyond anything in these 16 realms. Even traveller’s tea can’t bring a person to a different dimension. If we want to bring Kai back, we have to find Vortica.” He told his students, Nya looking extremely frustrated.

“Fine! Zane didn’t pick up any more anomalies so she must still be in Ninjago. We’ll find her and she will bring my brother back.” She says darkly, walking away abruptly, into the bridge.

The other shared a determined look before heading after her to help.

________________

Kai can’t believe he’s been here for a week already. He made sure to make a strike in the side of home tree to keep track. Lloyd- as he named the dragon that reminded Kai too much of the green ninja- had been teaching him all he can on how to survive in these forests. His main source of food was fish they caught from a nearby waterfall which also double as their water source. The pond wouldn’t do. It was for entertainment more than anything else. He had used a kunai to make a spear to catch the odd rainbow coloured flat fish that populates the river. They were rather large too. About the size of his though on average.

Lloyd preferred meat but since his leg was injured, he settled for fish until a day or two back. He dragged back the weirdest looking rabbit deer looking thing he’s ever seen. It was about the side of a deer too and was  _blue_. Speaking off the little runt, he was determined to make a jungle man out of Kai and it was working. Practicing getting through the forest daily and spotting those creatures’ territory does that. While his muscles were getting used to the extra exertion, he liked to take a break and fool around with the kid. He was like a puppy. A big, scaled puppy but a puppy no less.

Right now, they were having a game of tug of war with a really long vine across the pond.

“I swear! I’m gonna win this time!” Kai yelled, tugging hard at the vine while Lloyd casually stood on the other side, claws firmly planted into the soil/root mix.

He then snorted and gave a sharp tug. Kai yelled as he went flying forward, landing in the pond with a loud splash. He re-emerged will this place’s version of a lily pad and a small, poisonous fish flopping on his head, making Lloyd fell over on his back, releasing growling huffs of laughter. Kai chuckled himself but startled once a loud, very intimidating roar echoed through the forest. Even Lloyd seemed scared. Kai quickly swum out of the water, running onto land as the roars got closer.

“Come on Lloyd! Inside!” Kai yelled, rushing towards their home and Lloyd bounded after him, slipping inside their home, watching Kai do the same before grabbing his spear and making their makeshift door fall down, covering the entrance, camouflaged as apart of the tree.

Lloyd looked at him terrified, his glowing green eyes blown wide. Kai was just as scared. Whatever it was, it sounded big! Bigger than he may be able to to handle. If anything, he has to act as a distraction so the kid can get away. What made the situation even terrified was when loud- he thinks wing beats- sounded and- whatever it was, was definitely huge.

“Don’t worry bud. I’ll protect you.”  Kai says, stroking his snout, even as the noise got closer.

Lloyd curled up against his side then, shaking. He kept stroking his snout and back, looking through a sliver of space between the branches he used to make the door. For one terrifying moment, there was silence. Suddenly, the sound of branches before a loud thud sounded. Kai looked out horrified at the dragon that was almost twice the size of the Ultra Dragon. He couldn’t see all of it but its inky black scales glistened in the light of day. He sat there frozen with Lloyd as it stood  _just outside_. It then sniffed and Kai had a moment of  _oh shit_  before he was peering into a large, glowing, slitted red eye.

The new dragon roared before swiping coloured claws at the tree, destroying Kai’s door immediately, exposing him and Lloyd. Lloyd made a sound next to him and he looked down in time to see Lloyd dart out to the behemoth. Kai looked on with wide eyes, heart in his throat as the giant lowered its head to Lloyd. Was he going to eat him?! That thought had Kai getting on his feet, rushing out with his spear.

“Don’t you dare hurt him!” He yelled up at the dragon who looked wholey irritated with his presence.

It rose a massive paw to take Kai down then Lloyd suddenly rushed in front of him, making all sorts of sounds. It seems to be working since the dragon paused. He kept going and Kai looked between Lloyd and the new guy, wondering what he was saying. The big guy set his paw down before leaning down and sniffing at Kai. He then huffed and growled low, towards Lloyd and said dragon perked up, wagging his tail before running over to the massive hind leg that could squish him with ease before rubbing up against the gleaming black scales pointedly and Kai blinked before he connected the dots.

“That’s your dad, isn’t he?” Kai says, lowering his spear and Lloyd crooned. “That makes sense. Nice to meet you Garmadon.” Kai says towards the big guy who only huffed, still looking at him with distrust.

_______________

“We don’t have enough information about Vortica to know where to find her.” Zane reported, checking all variables he could think of on the Bounty’s computer.

“Zane’s right. We’re just guessing right now.” Cole says, he and Jay returning after asking around.

“We know one thing however.” Nya says, walking over to the computer and bringing up a picture of the museum. “She came to the museum for a reason and left empty handed. I can make a solid bet she’ll come back and try again.” She says, turning to the others.

“Then how about we set up our own little surprise for miss portal?” Jay says with a smirk.

_________________

Living with Garmadon this past week has been going as well as he expected: not very well at all. He wouldn’t leave Lloyd alone with him which dampered their play and training time but he made sure not to miss a day. He wouldn’t let Lloyd leave the small clearing either. He takes off and returns a few minutes later with up to three of the weird rabbit deer while Kai had to keep fishing for his own meals. He didn’t mind. He wasn’t too keen on trying that animals anyway. What Kai found really strange however was when Garmadon would make an odd- and loud- sound at the exact same time each day.

Lloyd was getting fed up his smothering if his cute growls- comparing to his father that is- and snapping whenever his father tried to bring him back to his side. Let’s not forget that Garmadon had widened the clearing to make his own sleeping area since not only was he too big for home tree, he wouldn’t go near it to begin with. He had just returned with his catch of the day when Lloyd greeted him with a vine in his mouth. Kai grinned. He’s been preparing for this. They got into place and Kai immediately began to tug, his upper body strength at its peak. He managed to actually move Lloyd forward, he could tell.

Garmadon got up from his makeshift nest but Lloyd growled in his direction, making him stop in his tracks. Lloyd then reared up on his back feet and tugged, sending Kai flying into the water for the umpteenth time. When he re-emerged, both father and son were laughing at him.

“You’ll see. One of these days…” Kai promised, wading out of the pond.

He then sat before home tree and his designated fireplace. He pulled out his second kunai he used as a knife and began to gut the fish. Surprisingly enough, the scales of these things taste the best. He heard when Garmadon moved, remaining unphased as he walked over, curiously. A sneaky glance showed him looking at the kunai before looking at his own paw.

“I don’t have claws if that’s what you’re wondering about.” Kai says, looking up at the large dragon. “See?” He says, holding his hand up.

Garmadon looked it over, even prodded at it with a claw. He then tilted his head to the side in confusion.

“I’m not a dragon Garm. Simple as that.” Kai says then took the roasting stick off its hold over the fireplace and skewered the fish, Lloyd wandering over as well but to take a nap, resting his head in his now empty lap.

Garmadon looked down at the strange thing in confusion. How did it survive this long? He then watched as he summoned fire from his clawless paw and lit the sticks he gathered. Perhaps that’s how… He watched as he stroked his son’s head as he slept, the young hatchling crooning as he did. He would have left as soon as he found him but he refused to leave this thing’s side until he found his family too. And with how stubborn he was, he didn’t have much of a choice, now did he? He rested near the strange creature. If that is what his son wanted, so be it.

_________________

“It’s been two days! Why hasn’t she come back?!” Nya growled, pacing the length of the museum entrance where the others were gathered.

“We need patience for this mission Nya.” Zane spoks up as a beautiful of light. “She would most likely wait until she’s positive that we aren’t around to stop her like last time.” He told her.

“But the longer she takes, the longer Kai’s trapped in- who knows where!” Jay yelled, worried for his brother.

“This practically a kidnapping. If she doesn’t show herself by tomorrow then we’ll have to get word out for her to come to us.” Cole says, crossing his arms. “Right now, she has us under her thumb but we need Kai safe. We have to submit to her demands. Fair enough?” He asked, looking at them all.

“It’s not like we have much of a choice…” Jay pointed out.

“It appears to be the quickest solution.” Zane agrees.

“We have to get Kai back.” Lloyd says with a frown, folding his arms.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to save my brother.” Nya says, his smiling face just before he let go reappearing on repeat in her head.

________________

It’s two months into his stay and aside from a brief run in with a group of those creatures that attacked Lloyd before, everything was pretty peacefully. Garmadon actually loosened up on them both- and even joined them whenever they went fishing or hunting. Sure he was way too big to navigate the forest from the ground but he was an eye from the sky that made foraging even further out possible. Lloyd really liked eating a strange pink fruit with green spots on them and when he took a bite of his insistent croons, he discovered it was nearly sickeningly sweet.

Garmadon only lets him have one or two a day and the extras are kept inside home tree. Kai was convinced Garmadon actually adopted him as well. He insists he sleep with him and Lloyd outside, tucked under his massive wing. (Kai had to admit, it was surprisingly comfortable and warm.) He was encouraging both he and Lloyd to play fight even, most likely to become big, strong dragons. Considering that Kai had lost all hope of his friends finding him, he was content to play along. Some days and nights found him longingly staring at the sky however.

Right now, Kai’s shoulders and cheeks were itching something fierce. They have been itching for a two days now. He thought that since he was running around shirtless (the upper half of his gi was unwearable with all the rips and tears it had), he had come in contact with something and tried taking a thorough shower at the waterfall but it hadn’t changed anything. He then thought he was allergic to all the new fruit he tried and stuck to fish but it still didn’t go away. His cheeks and shoulders were red and irritated. Worse yet, the itch was spreading. His legs, arms and back were joining the itch fest and Garmadon as well as Lloyd were worried. Lloyd tried licking his cheeks and shoulders but that made the itching worse and his father forbade him from licking it again. What helps best is a long soak under the waterfall so at least half the day was spent there.

Garmadon kept doing his odd daily call but today was the day he found out why he did so. They had just returned from the river, Garmadon insisting on carrying them back in his paws. He set them down before landing and shaking out his wings. He then lifted his head high and made that same sound that confused Kai. He was startled however when seconds later, there was an answer. A very distant answer but an answer no less. Then, minutes later, there was the gradually growing sound of thunderous wing beats. Several.

Lloyd was all shades of excited as Garmadon waited, seated straight up for their arrival. Kai was just fine resting against Garmadon’s large paw, trying not to tear the skin off his face and shoulders. A white dragon with golden claws and horns was the first to land, the 1,2,3,4,5 others couldn’t land since the space was too small. Or at least, that was what he thought until the other white dragon with light blue eyes, claws and horns used ice on the trees directly around the clearing, leaving the black one with brown eyes, claws and horns to shatter them with a joyful roar, landing on the ground with a loud thump that shook the ground.

No way…

Since this was a different dimension… were they this dimension of… Them? The white dragon with gold claws conversing with Garmadon was definitely Wu. That white and blue dragon was definitely Zane. 100% That black and brown one? Cole. That deep blue one with lighter blue horns? Jay. That light blue one with maroon horns? Nya… And the last bright red one with maroon horns and claws?… Himself. They all landed then and Lloyd darted over to them. He watched as they all reached their heads down to nuzzle him. Going by what Kai is piecing together here, Lloyd got separated from the group and all of them have been searching for him.

Now they’re all together again… It filled Kai with melancholy.

He blinked once Wu came before him, giving him a sniff before he took off. He looked up at Garmadon, confused and he just gave a low croon to reassure him. The others were suddenly before him, making low growls and croons, sounds he couldn’t even begin to translate. It was Garmadon’s growl interrupting them that spared him from trying. They all looked up at him before looking back down at Kai. He smirked to himself before summoning his fire, startling the newcomers. His dragon counterpart flamed up them, fire spreading all over him, looking at Kai excitedly.

“I know. We’re the same but from different dimensions.” Kai chuckled then doused his flames to rub at his slowly reddening arms, wanting to dig his nails into the source but knowing it was a bad idea.

Lloyd made a few gestures and sounds to the group and they backed off, looking instead to settle down. Strange how they weren’t leaving… Lloyd crawled into his lap on his back and stuck his tongue out at him in a gesture he picked up from Kai and he chuckled at how cute he looked before rubbing his stomach. Little bugger was heavier than you’d think. Considering that he was about the size of a pony, it’s not that much of a surprise actually…

He looked up once the sound of Wu returning echoed. He landed before them then dropped a few plants. Kai watched in awe as dragon Wu gestured for him to cut them open and rub it on the irritated spots. These dragons were smarter than he thought. But considering that they’re the dragon version of his family, he really shouldn’t be surprised. He pulled out his trusty Kunai and did as instructed, noting that the inside of the purple plants looked like aloe.

The moment the gooey substance touched his irritated cheek was the moment the irritation disappeared. He eagerly rubbed it all over where he could reach, Lloyd getting his back for him. He then grinned and gave a thumbs up, confusing dragon Wu but it appears that Garmadon explained with a grunt and he looked as if he understood. Lloyd then scampered out of his lap and went to grab the vine they always played with, looking at Kai eagerly as he wagged his tail. Considering how much his irritations had put a full stop to their playtime, he’d go a few rounds. It’s not like he could say no to those big green eyes anyways.

They stood on opposite ends, all dragons watching them.

“I’m gonna win this time!” Kai yelled and Lloyd rolled his eyes.

They both began to pull, Kai holding his own against all of Lloyd’s surprise tugs. He then wrapped the rope around his arm and tugged, pulling Lloyd towards the water. Lloyd, the clever little dragon he was, suddenly jumped forward, throwing Kai off balance before pulling suddenly and yanking him into the pond. He could hear the laughter from underwater and Kai glared as he resurfaced but Lloyd paused laughing long enough to stick his tongue out at him.

___________________

“It’s been three days now Sensei.” Nya says as she walked out to where he was standing on deck, looking down at the city. “Zane’s going to send the message out.” She told him.

“Very well.” He says, looking to her and Nya looked to where Zane was waiting for the ok from the deck of the Bounty.

She nodded and he sent the video out. It had the remaining ninja and Wu addressing Vortica, near all of them glaring into the camera during recording.

_‘Vortica, we know you haven’t left Ninjago yet. We need you to bring Kai back to us and in so… We are willing to come to an agreement that makes us both happy. Give us a place and time and we will discuss. No surprise attacks.’_  Was all that was said by Sensei Wu, on the short clip.

“And now, we wait.” Lloyd says irritably.

_____________

Three months in and living with dragons was pretty cool. They didn’t mind taking Kai flying on their backs. Lloyd too in extension since wasn’t ready to fly yet. He’s been practising though. He could already imagine dragon Wu telling him  _‘you will fly when you are ready and not a moment sooner’_. He and Lloyd were the babies of the group, but that was fine. He could get away using the bigger dragons’ wings as slides. Wu and especially Garmadon that is. Home tree was no longer surrounded by trees, but rather, very protective dragons. There may be one downside to living with dragons however. Like, oh I don’t know- GROWING  _SCALES_!!!

Turns out the irritation have way after about three weeks and he found out while fooling around the pond with Nya that he had red tinted scales on his face and shoulders. The rest are still growing in for his arms, legs and back. The only ones who seemed concerned was Lloyd, Garmadon and Wu. He was mutating it seems. Hopefully into a dragon and not a serpentine or something. It’ll be pretty useful if he does become a dragon. Then, he could be apart of their family. They won’t ever be his true family but they were already a close second.

“Hey Jay!” Kai yelled as he walked over to the bored looking dragon who perked up at his name.

They’ve all gotten used to their names by now.

“Wanna go fishing with me?” Kai asked, gesturing in the direction of the river and he roared, lowering himself so Kai could climb on.

Lloyd came running over seconds later, climbing up in front of Kai who shifted his spear out of the way.

“Did you ask Garmadon if you can come?” Kai asked him and Lloyd turned around to look at him with a dragon version of a grin with squinted eyes. “Nope. Go ask Garmadon first.” Lloyd says, pointing to the brothers who were conversing quietly at the far end of the clearing.

Lloyd looked towards them then back at Kai with a whining growl.

“No excuses. Either you ask or you can’t come.” Kai says, crossing his arms.

Jay looked back at them with an impatient huff. Lloyd gave a low growl that sounded like a groan instead before sliding down Jay’s wing and ran towards his father before pausing and looking back at them.

“Yes, we’ll wait. Now go. Jay’s getting impatient.” Kai says, gesturing to Jay who was shifting restlessly.

That made Lloyd run like the wind, interrupting his father’s conversation with high growls and croons. Garmadon looked up and saw Jay and Kai waiting before he nods, a gesture he learned from Kai that Lloyd knows well. He beamed up at his father before dashing back to where Kai and Jay were, climbing back on. Lloyd stuck his tongue out at Kai but he was prepared and wiped his finger against his smooth tongue. The bitter taste of the odd plant he was rubbing himself with filled Lloyd’s sensitive tongue and he made a displeased whine, looking at Kai in betrayal as Kai laughed. Jay took air then.

____

As soon as they reached the river, Lloyd heads straight for the water to wash the icky taste off his tongue. Jay and Nya were the best to go fishing with. Since Jay his his electrical powers, he could stun the fish and Nya could just lift them out trapped in a water bubble. He wanted to bring something back for everyone this time so he would be setting up a net like sack he made out of thin, strong vines. Strong as they are, they aren’t strong enough to hold live rainbow fish.

The waterfall was quite tall. Garmadon has to get on his hind feet to be able to see over the top after all. It was one of the least special things about this place. During the day at least. During the night, it’s a beautiful sight, watching bioluminescent water flow down into a pool of deep glowing blue water before rushing down the brighter river. With the sack set, Kai wrapped his hand around his spear he set down, noticing that he was starting to grow claws. Since he couldn’t do anything to stop the change, he had his fingers crossed for dragon.

“Lloyd, Jay.” Kai says, turning to them and both dragons perked up to look back at him. “Bet you I can catch more fish than you can.” He says with a smirk, walking towards the riverbank and carefully stepping up on his favourite rock to perch on.

Both of them wore a look that clearly said  _‘you’re on!’_

____________________

“A whole day and nothing.” Zane says, pacing now, the situation really getting to him now.

“That little! She just be sitting at wherever the hell she is, feeling smug!” Cole growled, running his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time, leaving a clear path in his hair.

“We can’t give up. There has to be some other way we haven’t thought of!” Lloyd says, frustrated, looking out through the window in the living space on the Bounty.

“I’d like to think that two but this is the first interdimensional case we came across. And for all my comic smarts, nothing in any comic can help us here.” Jay says, his leg bouncing up and down so fast, he was generating enough friction in the air to create electricity. “And if I start reciting anything I’ve learned, well… It’ll only make the situation worse.” He added.

Lloyd sighed.

“Is Nya still on patrol?” He asked them.

“Yes. Should I go after her?” Zane queried.

“Yeah. You and Cole. I’ll need you here with me Jay in case Vortica contacts us.” Lloyd instructed and they all nodded before moving out, Jay heading up to the bridge.

Lloyd glanced back at the photo of all of them hung on the wall. He’s read far more comics than Jay and knew very well what other dimensions were described as. He just hopes Kai is ok, and he can hold out long enough for them to be able to bring him back…

____________________

Kai frowned once a sensation hit him while sleeping. It was raining above the thick tent of ice and rock over the clearing and being in the middle of the night as it was, it meant some great sleep- or it would mean that if the gnawing sensation stopped. He reluctantly got up, his head just barely brushing Garmadon’s black wing over he and Lloyd before looking down at said dragon. Lloyd was sleep chewing his red tail…  _Again_. He focused and managed to move it out of his jaws before laying down again, curling up. He grew a full tail in two and a half weeks. He was worried he was becoming serpentine more than ever- that is until his back started acting up again a few short weeks back. Now, he had small wings that were quickly growing out.

It confirmed it. He was becoming a dragon. Everyone but Wu and Garmadon were excited about that knowledge but he expected it from them. Of course they would see his change as a bad thing. They were wise and all that good stuff. But it was happening and he couldn’t stop it so… Kai just rolled with it. The changes didn’t stop there however. His feet were sore all the time and they looked a little bigger and were slowly changing shape. It made him taller actually so he didn’t mind that part too much. Though not walking on his tiptoes was becoming an increasingly difficult task.

He yawned, revealing sharp fangs and a longer tongue, rubbing his head against Garmadon. He was starting to grow horns too. That was one irritation they couldn’t fix. He laid on his side, keeping his clawed hands far away from himself. He’s scratched himself up too many of a time to not be wary. He then allowed his lids to droop, flicking his tail further away just in case Lloyd got to it again. It’s surprising how well Garm’s wing insulates…

_____

Kai had slept in thanks to Lloyd thinking his tail is a snack all night. Once he woke up, the impressive tent was gone and so were Jay and Garmadon. He was so fast asleep, he hadn’t realised the transfer between Garmadon and Wu. Though he did smell the difference. Wu smelled more… How does he describe this… More like nature, herbs. Garmadon had a rich kind of smell. He really couldn’t describe. All the new heightened senses were a little hard to process. Dragon Kai- he decided to call Blaze- walked over and gestured to the sky with his head, making Kai smirk. Flying with his dragon self was utterly epic! He got up and hopped up on his back, pressing his ankles into his side’s to help keep balance before Blaze opened his wings. Dragon Wu gave a low growl that made his dragon half huff before taking to the sky.

Kai whooped as the wind rushed by, the ground a blur with Blaze’s fast flying. He did a loop and Kai laughed once he was sent into freefall, Blaze catching him a moment after. A roar echoed and they both turned to look at Cole and Nya flying over. Kai perked up as an idea came to mind.

“How about a race?” Kai says, catching their attention. “You three, from that mountain to the desert and back.” He says, gesturing so they could understand.

All three dragons looked at each other. They all headed towards the sole mountain poking through the sea of trees. He was set down on a plateau near the top before all three dragons lined up, looking pumped.

“On your mark… Get set…” Kai says, watching them narrow their eyes on the desert, just barely visible on the horizon. “Go!” He yelled and all three of them took off, Cole rocketing into the lead but Blaze and Nya were quickly catching up.

He sat at the edge, watching them go. He was eager to see who will win. Soon, he could see them turning back but a barely there sound had Kai whipping his head around. What he saw had him paling. It wasn’t a creature. They hated the light. No, it looked like a mash up of a leviathan and a lion. It had muddy green fur and sharp teeth, not to mention the ring of tentacles around its neck! What a bad time to not be able to fly! It snarled at him as it slowly stalked forward. A quick look back revealed that the others were too far away to save him.

He pulled out his Kunai in one hand. He had to fight. But this thing was bigger than he was. And those tentacles weren’t short either. It had reach on its side. It hopped down from the higher ledge and Kai stepped back, gasping as a piece of the ledge crumbled behind him. This was bad. A long drop waited below- and his wings weren’t even halfway grown in. Distressed and threatening roars echoed as the others realised what was going on but the thing wouldn’t miss such an easy meal. Kai smirked. He’ll show it easy. He jumped back as it pounced, off the cliff and out of reach of the thing’s tentacles.

He squeezed his eyes shut. This is gonna- He grunted as he landed on something. He blinked down at white scales and had a moment to ponder if it was Wu before he spotted the light blue horns. He flew up to where the creature was, growling still and blasted it with ice, freezing it over before turning to where the others were coming in hot. They all began making worried and distraught noises. Zane reassured them he was fine- before giving them all a lecture. Even though he didn’t understand exactly what he was saying, Kai still felt guilty and chastised.

________________

Five days without sign of Vortica and the group had started to doubt. What if she had left? What if Kai was stuck wherever he was now forever? What if they truly couldn’t get him back? What if Vortica had already left and Zane’s readings were incorrect? He said it himself, even Nindroids could be wrong. But the worst  _what if_  that had plagued them was… What if Kai was already…  _Dead_ …?

Nya refuses to give up- and they won’t. They will bring Kai home somehow. It’s just… Cole sighed. He’s hoping… It’s unharmed. For now, they need to find Vortica. He nodded at himself before flipping his hood down and ran up on deck.

“Alright, let’s go. Patrol time.” Cole says, to Nya, Jay and Lloyd who were waiting on him.

“Good. Jay, you’ll take uptown, Cole, downtown. Nya-”

“I eastern side of the city, got it.” She says, cutting Lloyd off.

“Right. I’ll go west.” Lloyd says with a nod before looking back at Nya. “We’ll bring Kai home.” He told he and she smirked.

“Of course we will. And I won’t stop until we do.” She says before hopping off the ship, landing on her Water Cycle before taking off into the city.

“You heard the lady. Let’s go!” Cole yelled, jumping into his Earth Driller and taking off, Lloyd and Jay following their lead.

_______________

Ok, so maybe there are other downsides to being a dragon. He was rubbing his still growing horns against the nearest tree since they itched something fierce. They’ve grown a lot over the past month and were very visible. Unlike most of the others’ horns, his weren’t growing backwards and only his majors were growing in right now. They were looking just like his dragon self’s majors: inclined upwards, with the tips just starting to curl towards each other. Soon, they would curl away and twist a little. But right now, it was really irritating!

At least his teething phase went fine. Lloyd knew all sorts of things to chew to make his itchy teeth feel better but horns were a thing even he had problems with from time to time.

“Be careful not to hurt yourself Kai. You’re not a full dragon yet. Your skin is still vulnerable to splinters and cuts.” Garmadon says as he walked over, gently nudging him away from the tree he’s been shredding for almost an hour now.

Oh yeah. Somewhere along the way, he’s able to actually understand them when they 'speak’.

“Ugh. But it’s the only thing that makes my horns feel better…” Kai says, reaching up to rub one, noting that it was hot for how long he’s been rubbing it.

“But the longer you rub your horns, the more heated they become and heat is not a good remedy for the irritation.” Wu told him from where he was, watching Lloyd playfight with Nya and was totally winning.

Blaze and Cole were roughhousing too but it want nearly as cute as those two.

“I could freeze them if you’d like.” Zane suggested, watching him.

“We tried that once, remember? You froze my whole head.” Kai reminded as he climbed up Garmadon’s hind leg, the giant dragon not minding his tiny claws at all. “It’s fine. A good rubbing is usually good for a few hours.” He says from his perch on Garmadon’s lower back, his much larger wings spreading rode to keep himself balanced as he walked back over to his brother.

“Kai! Do you want to play?!” Lloyd called from under Nya’s paw before returning to gnawing at her claws, making her laugh.

“Not right now son. We’d like to speak to Kai for a moment.” Garmadon says as Kai frowned at that.

“Kay!” Lloyd yelled then squirmed free from Nya’s capture to lunge at her.

She roared then toppled over with Lloyd standing proudly on her stomach.

“I’ve been defeated! You are too brave and strong for me!” She says, dramatically as Lloyd puffed out his chest proudly.

Garmadon stopped by his brother and lowered a wing for him to slide down but Kai had other plans. He got to all fours and used his even stronger hind legs- er, just legs- and pushed himself off, using his wings to glide over onto Wu’s snout.

“Hi.” Kai says with a fanged grin and Wu chuckled before taking him in his palm and setting him down before them as Garmadon took his seat.

“It’s about time we talked little one.” Wu says and Kai rose a brow.

“Technically, I’m like, almost an adult at where I’m from.” Kai pointed out, wiggling his strange feet.

They looked a lot like their hind legs in shape but had more human skin than scales. He gives himself a year before he fully becomes a dragon.

“We don’t doubt that Kai but this is what we need to speak of: where you’re from.” Garmadon says and Kai frowned, all playfulness gone.

“I know what you’re going to say.  _‘You need to go back home_ ’, right?” Kai asked and both dragon elders nodded. “I’m sorry to tell you but there’s no way for me to get back on my own.” He says, hanging his head and the brothers shared a look.

“The thing is, someone from my world has the power to open portals to other dimensions. My original family and I were stopping them from stealing when she opened a portal to this place. My sister was with me and if I didn’t let go, we would have both been stuck here.” He says, resisting the urge to pick at his already tattered pants to make it worse with his claws. “If that person doesn’t reopen another portal to here then I won’t be able to leave. Considering that she a villain too… I’m never going to be able to leave.” He says, looking away.

Both brothers shared a solemn look before Kai found a black tail turning his head back to them.

“The circumstances seem dire indeed, however… If you mean anywhere near what you mean to us to your true family, then know they will never give up on finding a way home for you.” Garmadon told him softly and no- those weren’t tears in Kai’s eyes.

They were just watering is all.

“And if they aren’t able to, they can rest assured that we will protect you. You’re already apart of this family.” Wu says, gesturing to the others with his wing.

Kai looked back to see Lloyd tackling both Blaze and Cole ‘beating’ them both up with ease as Nya, Zane and Jay watched, laughing. The sight made him smile.

“Even if you have to go, you will always hold a space in each of our hearts.” Garmadon says from above and he looked back at them before smiling, tears-  _he can’t not cry after that ok?!_ \- running down his face.

“Thanks…” He says, swiping the tears from his face using his arm. “… Ow…” He grimaced once his hardened scales irritated the scale-less parts of his face, making the elders laugh.

Kai smiled at them before turning around with a grin.

“Come on squirt! Let’s see if you can defeat the mighty Kai!” He growled, running over on all fours.

“Ha! You make it sound hard!” Lloyd yelled before pouncing at him.

“Avenge me!” Blaze howled from where he still lay, ‘defeated’.

“You hear that? I have to avenge my fallen friends!” Kai growled and nipped at his tail, making Lloyd yelp.

“I’ll get you for that Kai!”

_________________________

Today marks day 6 of Kai’s disappearance into the portal. There was no leads as to where Vortica’s location is and no lead to getting Kai back. Spirits are down today but Zane knows he nor his friends will give up. They will bring their brother home. They have to. Failure is not an option. He picked up one of the fliers they made with the best photo of the culprit from the museum’s security system.

She had short cut magenta hair and matching eyes. He couldn’t pick up any facial feature that is unique to her and aside from her calf high magenta boots with two large white buckles at the top, they couldn’t see much else of her wardrobe from under the white cloak she wore, piped with her signature colour. With how bright her colour are, she should stand out and be easily spotted. But instead, it appears as if she was lost to the wind.

He tossed the flyer down and leaned against the computer, frustration taking hold. 6 days and they weren’t any closer than they were on day one.

“Zane!” He jolted up once Cole’s voice came in from the communication system.

“Yes? What is it?” Zane answered, tapping into Cole’s Earth Driller.

“I need you to check something out. Turning on dash cam.” He says and Zane water a moment before his dash cam feed came up on the computer.

He looked at the outside of the store for a while and was about to ask what he was supposed to be 'checking out’ when he spotted a familiar cloak over a child’s shoulder as he and his mother walked out of the store.

“That cloak… it belongs to Vortica!” Zane gasped once his databases came up with a 99.9% match.

“That’s all I need to know. I want to follow them but the Earth driller is too obvious. I didn’t want to get to Nya until I was sure.” Cole told him and Zane was already reaching out to her.

“For now, keep track of them and I’ll send Nya to take over. The rest of you should return to the Bounty and we’ll track them from the sky.” Zane forewarned Cole, hacking into Ninjago’s traffic cameras yet again.

“Roger.” Cole says, waiting until they got in their car and drove out before slowly following.

Their first lead. And they weren’t going to let it go, no matter what.

_____________

Kai whooped as he won his first official flight race against everyone on his former team, Garmadon and Lloyd watching from the sole mountain he was nearly eaten on.

“Well done Kai.” Garmadon says and Kai hovered proudly while Lloyd pouted.

“‘S not fair. How did he learn to fly so quick?” He whined to his father.

“Kai is as old as the others are in his world. It’s only natural for him to be able to master flight quickly. Though let’s not forget his practise runs…” Garmadon says with amusement and Lloyd snickered, remembering the may times Kai had flew himself into a tree.

“Hey, hey, hey! I was uncoordinated, ok?” Kai huffed, defensively.

“Forget learning how to fly that fast, how about how can he fly so fast?!” Blaze huffed, hovering nearby.

“Kai may be smaller than us but that is his advantage. Being as small as he is offers far less air resistance than we encounter and his smaller wings are able to flap even faster than our larger ones. Not to mention his lightness is a contributing factor.” Zane helpfully explained, perching next to Garmadon.

“You’re just mad you finally lost a race.” Jay teased, flying around Blaze as Kai grinned.

“Wha- psh! No!” Blaze immediately denied and they all laughed.

A cool wind blew then, making Kai shiver.

“It’s getting chilly, isn’t it?” He commented, rubbing his arms.

“Yes.” Garmadon says and Kai looked at him, confused at his somber tone. “Winter is fast approaching Kai. We have another yellow moon cycle before we have to leave further north.” He told him and Kai frowned.

He had to leave this place… Leave the place where Kai had called home these past 6 months. That wasn’t all that made him so down… What if they found him a way back and he wasn’t there to take it? But… It’s also been 6 months… What are the odds that they will be able to get him back after all this time?

“Don’t worry about it Kai!” Lloyd spoke up, climbing his father like the mountain he was to him and sitting on his head. “Our winter home is pretty awesome! It’s has bigger mountains that this one and a really big plain and huge lake and lots of trees and a volcano and other dragons too!” He says excitedly, tail wicking back and forth.

“Totally. You’ll like it, we promise.” Jay says, nudging him.

“Don’t worry, I don’t doubt I will.” Kai says with a grin.

“Atta boy!” Cole grinned then flew onder him and up, leaving Kai seated on his back as he flew about, their laughter echoing.

“Alright, this is fun and all but how about we teach him dragon’s breath?” Nya says, using her tail to snatch Kai off Cole’s back and tossed him into the air.

“I already beat you to it!” Lloyd says with a grin. “Let her rip Kai!” He yelled and Kai caught himself with his wings, taking a deep breath in, channeling his fire into his lungs and making from his abdomen to his mouth glow orange-red with his fire.

He then breathed out, a huge projectile of fire leaving him- huge for him at least. He was too far in the air for it to reach the trees but that was fine. He wouldn’t want to start a forest fire after all. The others cheered as he stopped the torrent of fire, smoke escaping his nose as his body started to cool down again.

“When did you teach him that?” Zane asked, impressed.

“What? Do you think all we do in the forest is look for sweet fruit?” Lloyd scoffed then slid down to his father’s snout.

He laughed once his father tilted his head back, making him slide back onto his head.

“Well, considering how much of it you can put away…” Blaze says and Lloyd stuck his tongue out at him.

“Considering how much those creatures in the forest hate light, I thought it would be pretty useful.” Kai says, landing in Garmadon’s paw once he held it up.

“Those  _'creatures’_  Kai, are known as Oni.” Garmadon told him and Kai didn’t know why he was surprised.

“Let me guess, they destroy things?” Kai asked, taking a seat on the rough bump in the centre of his paw.

“You have creatures like this in your world?” Garmadon asked, curious.

“In our world? No. But in a close by realm…? Yes.”  Kai says and they all looked at him curious, always eager to hear about his world. “But first, how about we head back and keep Wu company? I’m pretty sure he wants to hear all about it too.” Kai says, taking air again.

“Very well. Let us go.” Garmadon says, standing and spreading his massive black wings.

____________________

“Alright. So we have the location and we have the mech in case she decides to open another portal.” Lloyd says to his fellow ninja from aboard the Bounty, out of sight of the village they were sure Vortica was hiding. “Today marks 7 days since she took Kai from us. Today also marks the day we’ll be getting him back.” He says and they all nodded, expressions serious.

“Be careful students. While this is a mission to regain a lost brother, we cannot afford to lose another.” Wu told them and they nodded again.

“Let’s go.” Lloyd says and Wu pulled the lever, opening the hatch.

Cole was on mech duty as the others used Spinjitsu to land safely, heading for a specific house amidst the village. Time to get their friend back.

____________

A moth passed by quickly. They had to leave the sea of trees soon. The Oni are particularly fond of the winter after all. The snow will plunge the entire forest into night for the next 4-5 months. Seasons last a little longer here than in Ninjago. They would come back here- but only in passing. They will head further south during spring to their home for most of the year. Towards the highest mountain range on the planet as Wu told him. In the heart of what has been declared as the dragon lands.

Kai looked up at home tree sadly, thinking of the first night he spent here with Lloyd. He smiled a little, thinking of how Lloyd had tried to possibly mawl him that first time. Poor kid must just be trying to defend his little home, waiting for someone to find him. He must have scared him appearing out of nowhere like he did. Lloyd walked over then, walking over to place his head on his shoulder.

Kai stroked his snout. They made a lot of fond memories here. Kai took out his trusty Kunai and with a lot of difficulty- due to his increase in size and his wings- crawled in and looked around at the 210 strikes he marked into the little tree cave. Lloyd wormed himself in too, making the fit tighter than he remembered. Right. He wasn’t the only one that has grown. Lloyd had too. Going from pony sized to horse a these 7 months. He smiled at his bud before turning back to where the freshest strike was and carved another beside it. By tomorrow this time, they’ll be leaving this place… And they won’t be coming back.

“We can come back together.” Lloyd says, breaking the silence.

“We could…” Kai says, his glowing, slitted amber eyes meeting green. “Or, we could make newer, better memories at our new home.” He suggested with a smile and Lloyd nuzzled him.

“… Sounds good.” He says after a while.

“Come on. We still have a whole day. Let’s make use of it.” Kai says and Lloyd perked up.

“Yeah! Let’s go!” Lloyd hollered, working his way back out and Kai laughed, following behind him.

______________

“Well… This is a surprise.” Vortica says once she found herself surrounded by various, sharp, pointy weapons.

“I’ll show you a real surprise if you don’t come with us.” Nya growled.

“Fine. Just- leave these people alone.” She says, looking across at the mother/child duo huddling in the corner terrified before holding her hands out.

Zane and Cole grabbed them, escorting her out.

“Look, if this is about me trying to steal the-”

“This is about you sending my brother to another dimension!” Nya growled at her and her eyes widened.

“Someone slipped through?” She whispered in her shock.

The portal was supposed to be a distraction. She wasn’t expecting some to get sucked in.

_'Well shit. Mom was right. I still have a lot to learn.’_

“In that case, we need to head directly to the museum so I can replace the portal.” She told them as they continued her out of the village to where the Bounty was waiting.

“Why can’t you just do it on the Bounty?” Jay asked her, suspicious.

“Because I didn’t pick a specific dimension so I don’t know exactly which one your friend was sent to. Going back to the museum will guarantee the portal opened to the world he was sent in. Let’s just hope time runs the same or slower there.” Vortica whispered and they looked at her alarmed.

“Then we have no time to dally.” Lloyd says and they rushed into the Bounty, said ship taking off seconds later on a burst of speed.

_______________

“You ready Kai?” Blaze asked him as he sniffed at the entrance of home tree.

“Yeah.” Kai says, working his way out again. “Where’s Lloyd?” He asked as he picked up his spear.

“Over here!” Kai looked over to see Lloyd on Wu’s back, tail wagging a mile a minute.

He grinned then walked towards him when he stepped on something. He looked down to see the vine they always used for tug of war. He smirked and picked it up with a fully scaled hand, his maroon talons curling with how long they were.

“Hey Lloyd! One more game?” Kai ssys, holding it up.

Lloyd gasped then looked to his father eagerly and he sighed, hardly able to resist those big green eyes himself.

“Alright.” Garmadon consented and Lloyd beamed, jumping across on his father’s wing before sliding down to the ground and running over.

“Here we go…” Kai says, holding on tight.

Lloyd bared his teeth then began pulling, making Kai skid forward. It looked like an easy win. Kai suddenly jumped forward, his hind legs at the edge of the pond, sending Lloyd off balance before he yanked forward, tugging the dragon into the water. Kai whooped as Lloyd emerged, growling at him.

“You cheated!” He protested.

“Then you cheated that time you used that move on me.” Kai says, placing his hands on his hips.

“It matters not. Kai still lost.” Wu says and they looked to him confused.

“I got Lloyd onto the water! I’m dry! I won!” Kai protested.

“Oh, you’re not dry.” Garmadon says, using a paw to gesture to Kai’s feet.

Kai looked down- only to see his toes in the water.

“Oh man…” He slumped and they all laughed.

____________________

“Stand back.” Vortica says, flipping her cloak back. “My portals only stay open for ten seconds and I can’t open more than two a day right now. Considering that I opened it from the roof, the portal will most likely be in the sky. Hopefully he can find his way to it.”

“Then-” Cole was cut off by her hands glowing magenta before she reopened the portal.

She then dropped her hands.

“It’s all up to him now.” She says, unaffected by its pull while the ninja hung on to whatever they could.

_________________

Kai looked down at his former home once more from the air. So long. He turned away, flying after the others. He hopped on to Garmadon’s back where Lloyd was and sat next to the squirt, running his hand along his birthday green scales. Time to move on…

“What’s that?” Nya asked and Kai glanced at her then at where she was looking.

His breath caught once he caught sight of the bright pink swirling portain in the sky, over where home tree was located.

“That’s- that’s the portal I can through!” Kai gasp and they all stopped, looking at each other in surprise then sadness at Kai’s awed and eager expression. “I can go home…” He whispered, wings bringing him to a hover.

“Then go.” Kai looked around, surprised. “Go back to your family before time runs out.” Wu urged him as Garmadon turned to look at him.

“Remember what I said. You will always have a place in our hearts.” Garmadon told him, tilting his chin up with a large claw.

“They’re right.” “Go on.” “We’ll miss you!” “We’ll never forget you!” “We’ll be fine, don’t worry.” The others encouraged and Kai found himself torn.

He wanted to go back home.  _Desperately_. But at the same time… Lloyd climbed on top of his father’s head.

“Go on Kai. You have to make new memories in your old home.” Lloyd says to him softly and Kai looked at him, at them.

He couldn’t help the tears as he smiled at them.

“I’ll miss you guys too. You all have a place in my heart. Always.” He told them before gathering his courage and turned away, flying as fast as he could towards the portal, towards his home.

“Kai! Wait!” Kai stopped and turned around, confused, only for jis eyes to widen at the sight of Lloyd.

He was… Flying!

“Lloyd! You’re- oof!” Kai grunted once he flew into his arms.

“Before you go… I wanted you to have this…” Lloyd says, and brushed his paw over Kai’s hand.

Kai looked at the teary eyed dragon brother before looking down at his palm. He gasped softly, looking at the ring of scales in his hand, all held together by a thin, dried vine. The green and black scale as the centerpieces glimmered under the portal’s light just behind him. He held it to his chest before smiling at him.

“You’re going to grow up to be a big, strong dragon Lloyd. You’ll be protector. I may not be here to see it, but I want you to know I’ll be proud of you through it all. I’ll love you no matter what, brother.” He told him then took out his kunai and used it to pull a scale off his arm.

He then handed the scale and the kunai to Lloyd who had tears dripping down the sides of his muzzle.

“Goodbye, Lloyd.” He whispered, flying back before turning away amd flying into the portal.

“Goodbye… Brother…” Lloyd whispered, looking at the portal before it disappeared.

“Come on son. Time to go.” Garmadon says softly from behind him.

He looked back at his father, at his family before looking to where the portal was. He flew over to his father, taking his place on his head. He then roared, a sound of goodbye, of sadness but also hope. The rest of his family joined, their United roars heard for miles and miles out.

_Goodbye Kai._

______________

“Come on Kai, come on….” Nya whispered, watching the portal.

She gasped once it began to close. No… Kai. They all gasped once a blur of red crashed from the portal, just before it closed.

They stared at the strange creature on the ground, rubbing their head and growling. They then lifted their head and Nya knew. She took a step towards the dragonesque creature who kept their eyes on her.

“Ny…a…?” They whispered and she gasped.

“Kai!” She yelled, throwing herself at him and he caught her, hugging her tight.

“Nya! It’s been so long! I was starting to think…” Kai says, looking down at her.

“As if we’d ever give up on you. But what happened to you?” She asked, looking him over.

“He’s been in that dimension too long.” Vortica says, holding a square object in her hands. “Time must have ran differently there. How long were you in there Kai?” She asked him.

“7 months.” He says, alarking everyone.

“7 months?! But you were on gone a week!” Jay blurted.

“Really?” Kai asked, surprised.

“Can the effects be reversed?” Zane asked Vortica.

“It already is.” She says, gesturing to Kai who was streaming.

“Woah…” Kai says, noticing his scales and claws steaming away.

He then looked at his other hand- and spotted the necklace of scales, bringing deep sadness to his heart. Lloyd… Garmadon…  _Everyone_.

“Cool necklace.” Cole says, reaching out to touch it and Kai snarled at him, eyes flashing glowing amber as he held it to his chest. “O-ok! No touchy necklace!” He yelled, holding his hands up in surrender.

“I’m sorry…” Kai says, completely normal now. “My friends, my family gifted it to me…” He whispered then slipped it on, feeling all 8 scales against his skin.

“Family? You met people there?” Lloyd asked and Kai looked up at him, at his green eyes that looked just like dragon Lloyd’s then smiled.

“Not people. Dragons.” He told them and they all looked at him in awe.

“I hate to ruin the reunion but where is Vortica?” Zane asked, looking around.

“And where is the art thingy from the display?” Jay pointed out.

“I could care less. I have my brother back.” Nya whispered, still hugging kai and he buried his nose into her hair.

_New memories in my old home. I’ll miss you and all the others…_

_Goodbye… Lloyd._

___________

_Two months later…_

“What’s shooting at us?! I can’t see anything!” Nya yelled, trying to navigate their way out of the line of fire for the new baddie’s henchmen.

Their aircrafts weren’t detectable by sight or radar, making them very hard to out manuever

“Portside!” Jay yelled, manning the cannons with Kai but they couldn’t dodged fully.

Kai yelled once he found himself in freefall, the ground rushing up quicjly to him.

“This would be a great time to still have wings!” Kai yelled, flailing.

Suddenly, a glow appeared around his neck and he looked down with eyes wide. The scales… He looked down awe at his as his talons and scales reappeared, feeling the changes in his body a light tingle. Once the tingling stopped, he looked back to see his wings before he bore a wide grin.  _Yes!_

He managed to swoop up into before he went splat, his enhanced vision closing in on the 'invisible’ aircrafts. They only painted them sky blue.

He gathered his fire into his chest, his abdomen to mouth glowing like it always did.

_He’ll teach them to mess with his family._

**Author's Note:**

> I'm my own beta so pardon the mistakes!


End file.
